Sheer Genius!
What has gotten less wrinkly as the years go by? Nylons! The technology just keep getting better and better! According to this link, nylons are 70 years old this year.
I couldn't find a reference for this story, but an older British woman that I worked with told me that when she was a young girl in World War II, she couldn't buy stockings because all of the available nylon and silk was being used for parachutes. She and her friends used to put special "stocking make up" on their legs and then get a friend to draw a "seam" up the back of their legs with an eyebrow pencil to simulate the seams on stockings.
She said that some girls were better at drawing the seam than others, and it was important to have a friend that was good at this. Girls that could draw a good, straight seam enjoyed a certain degree of popularity among their peers because of this ability. (She was a budding young artist at the time, so of course she was very good at it. But of course you can't draw seams on your own legs - anymore than you can give yourself a haircut.)
She said that it was amusing when a girl entered the dance hall with a poorly drawn seam on her legs. All of the other girls would laugh behind a girl's back if she had the misfortune of having a "seam" that wasn't drawn straight. (Kind of like having a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe.) There is always room for peer pressure and social one-upmanship - even in wartime!
I couldn't find a reference for this story, but an older British woman that I worked with told me that when she was a young girl in World War II, she couldn't buy stockings because all of the available nylon and silk was being used for parachutes. She and her friends used to put special "stocking make up" on their legs and then get a friend to draw a "seam" up the back of their legs with an eyebrow pencil to simulate the seams on stockings.
She said that some girls were better at drawing the seam than others, and it was important to have a friend that was good at this. Girls that could draw a good, straight seam enjoyed a certain degree of popularity among their peers because of this ability. (She was a budding young artist at the time, so of course she was very good at it. But of course you can't draw seams on your own legs - anymore than you can give yourself a haircut.)
She said that it was amusing when a girl entered the dance hall with a poorly drawn seam on her legs. All of the other girls would laugh behind a girl's back if she had the misfortune of having a "seam" that wasn't drawn straight. (Kind of like having a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe.) There is always room for peer pressure and social one-upmanship - even in wartime!
mytights.com: The History of Nylons
10 Comments:
When I sent that photo to you and GG it was with the express promise that neither of you would publish it.
Then the spurious excuse of national L'eggs day or something brings this on?
Oh, what am I to do???
Fran, you should send more photos to this blog! Everyone likes eggs!
I think you need some help. The fact that you posted this (amoung numerous) scandalous image suggests you're not actually out on all those "trips" with Germaine Gregarious.
Oh, no. Not at all.
spirula-
Hahahaaha!
I need that book.
amoung
(it's like my right hand is trying to go Limey on me or something)
Fran, you party gurrl!! But then, we found that out last Halloween! ha
BAC
My mom told me about the fake nylon leg makeup and seams from WW II as well. It's hard to imagine that stockings once had seams in the first place, let alone that you would fake them by drawing them on...
FranIAm: Don't worry! I won't tell anybody if you don't. ;o)
Randal Graves: And bacon! And english muffins! (Not too crisp, please.)
Spirula: Hmm... Are you off your medication again? I think that Ceiling Kitty has been watching you.
Dean Wormer: It's important to have a hobby, don'tcha know. ;o)
BAC: Indeed! FranIAm was the hit of the party!
Mauigirl: Thanks! I am so glad somebody knew what I was talking about. The lady that told me that story was always telling me the most interesting stories. She was a really good artist too.
Whoa, those are Fran's gams? I figured they were Germaine's, but whatevah--nice stems!
Stems is stems! The flowers are all lovely.
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